too. And I don’t think women do that. Not unless the bloke she went out with was an arsehole. Sorry, Mum.”
“No worries,” she said, sliding scrambled eggs and fried tomatoes on top of toast onto two plates and bringing them over. “Reckon that’s the right word. Though it’s not one you use out there in the world,” she told the girls. “And be careful what you share about sex, all the same. You wouldn’t normally ask any of this unless you were alone with your sister. People won’t be expecting it. Though you can ask me as well, if you have questions.”
“Oh,” Oriana said. “Sorry.”
“No worries,” Gray said. “It’s different, maybe, with family.”
I got up, somewhat reluctantly, and sat down in an actual chair to eat my breakfast. Oriana jumped up and said, “I’ll do the washing-up, Honor. Would you like me to bring you another cup of tea?”
“That’d be lovely,” she said, sliding into the seat beside Gray. “I want to talk to the two of you anyway.”
I braced for it, because here it came.
“Yeh?” Gray said. “Something I can do for you?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’ve got things to do with the girls this week. Registering them for school, going back to the lawyer with Frankie. Doing a bit more shopping, because they need more clothes. Dressing gowns. More shoes. Togs and jandals for summer. And everything else.”
“Let me know, and I’ll give you my credit card,” I put in. “And thank you. I don’t know what to say. I know it’s my job.”
“It’s not your job,” Honor said. “Your job was getting them out, and providing for them. Which you’re doing.”
“Well, with Gray’s help,” I said.
“Is he complaining?” she asked.
“No,” Gray said. “He’s not.”
“Anyway,” Honor said, “they can’t get everything done while they’re tiptoeing around here all day because you’re asleep. We need to cook and shop as well, and do some cleaning, too.”
Gray said, “I wonder where this is going.”
Honor said, “I’d like to sleep over here with the girls. Daisy can sleep at your house, Gray. You’re gone during the day anyway. She won’t be disturbed, and the rest of us won’t be disturbing her. Also, I’d rather do the cooking over here, because that kitchen of yours is mad, and I’d like to use the spa tub. I’ve got quite used to having one, and I’m missing it.”
“What an interesting suggestion,” Gray said. “So practical.”
I said, “Oh. Of course.” I was trying not to blush, which was ridiculous. We’d just been talking about sex. About Gray and me having sex. Why did this feel so awkward? Other than that it was his mum talking about us having sex, of course. I went on, trying for casual, “I’ve heard your bath is lime green, though.”
“It is,” Gray said. “My bedroom’s horrible, too. And then there’s the kitchen, like Mum says. Never mind. You can give me ideas about what to do with the place. Useful, eh.”
“All right,” I said, trying to be as casual as the two of them and failing. “I’ll just change the sheets, then. And, uh, move my things over.”
“Another good idea,” Gray said. “I could help you. I’m quite good at carrying things.”
Which was true.
Honor was still around when Gray went home for a while. “To get my gear and wire up the yurt to the alarm system,” he explained. “I’ll put a camera on the door, too, because having a weak link like this is pretty stupid.”
I told him, “I could help you, if you like. Be your assistant.” Feeling shy about it. Maybe he wanted a break from me. Not unreasonable.
He said, though, “Help would be good. Especially yours. Let’s do that.” So that was all right.
Honor helped me make the bed up with clean sheets. Tan ones this time. I said, for something to say, “Tan isn’t as bad as brown, but it’s not my favorite. You may have noticed that all the clothes at Mount Zion are brown. I still hate it.”
“You should buy some new ones, then,” she said. “Or better yet, get Gray to give you his credit card. He’s too busy with work just now to be shopping for sheets.”
I paused in the act of shaking a pillow into its case and said, “I know he is. He probably has work to do this weekend, in fact.”
“He probably does,” she said. “I imagine he’ll get to it. He generally does.”
I stopped pretending to work and said, “That’s why I’m surprised you offered to switch houses